Second thoughts about POR, thinking of switching to WL!

[Alexsandra]

We are going to WDW around Christmas: Dec 10-17. We jumped on the free dining promo and booked POR. I really wanted to stay in AB section but there were only river view Royal Rooms left. I have 2 boys: 2 and 5 years old. I am not that crazy about the room and I think the extra cash we are paying for them will be lost on my boys (not that interested in the whole princess thing.) I do love the grounds and the food court and the boat to DTD. We stayed at POFQ last year and really liked it when we walked over there. However the room keeps me from being excited! Plus the grounds are really vast and with my experience at CSR in Feb, I am scared that I will find it uncomfortable especially when it is raining or cold.

Now I am seriously considering switching to WL. It would be my first experience in a Deluxe and it would be a fun Christmas gift to us. I think it will be much prettier around Christmas time and it will be fun to be closer to MK and to have boat to MK or FW and Contemporary. Plus, since we are going in Dec. and it can be chilly some days/nights, it could be fun to have all the amenities under one roof. The only problem is that it is $1000 more expensive and it is an extra expense that is hard to swallow (especially around Christmas).

So should I try to find a way to find an extra $1000 bucks or should I just suck it up and go to POR. My husband thinks it is not worth the extra money. His view is that we will be at the parks most of the day anyway. I am still debating what to do. I could find the money but need to work some overtime to do it, so is it worth it?

Convince me either way!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are going to WDW around Christmas: Dec 10-17. We jumped on the free dining promo and booked POR. I really wanted to stay in AB section but there were only river view Royal Rooms left. I have 2 boys: 2 and 5 years old. I am not that crazy about the room and I think the extra cash we are paying for them will be lost on my boys (not that interested in the whole princess thing.) I do love the grounds and the food court and the boat to DTD. We stayed at POFQ last year and really liked it when we walked over there. However the room keeps me from being excited! Plus the grounds are really vast and with my experience at CSR in Feb, I am scared that I will find it uncomfortable especially when it is raining or cold.

Now I am seriously considering switching to WL. It would be my first experience in a Deluxe and it would be a fun Christmas gift to us. I think it will be much prettier around Christmas time and it will be fun to be closer to MK and to have boat to MK or FW and Contemporary. Plus, since we are going in Dec. and it can be chilly some days/nights, it could be fun to have all the amenities under one roof. The only problem is that it is $1000 more expensive and it is an extra expense that is hard to swallow (especially around Christmas).

So should I try to find a way to find an extra $1000 bucks or should I just suck it up and go to POR. My husband thinks it is not worth the extra money. His view is that we will be at the parks most of the day anyway. I am still debating what to do. I could find the money but need to work some overtime to do it, so is it worth it?

Convince me either way!

The WL is amazing!!! We absolutely LOVED our stay there this past July. It was also our first time staying deluxe, and we worried about whether it would be worth it or not. We stayed CL and it was absolutely worth it!!!

I have never stayed at POR, but a Royal Room wouldn't be my first choice with two boys...I am not a huge fan of CBR but I think I'd pick the pirate rooms before the royal rooms.

I would say that if spending the extra money on WL is going to break the bank, just stick with POR, but if you can feasibly afford it, give it a shot. As far as spending most of your time in the parks...we were that way too, until staying at the WL...it made us want to stick around and we spent 2 whole days (of our 11 day trip) just hanging around the lodge...and a lot of half days too.

 

[jenniferma]

oh my, I say GO FOR IT! The WL at Xmas is the most amazing resort.. and with two little ones it would be nice to be closer (and have boat access) to MK and CR!

good luck I fully support you in your splurge!

ps... we've done both-- gone for the deluxe or stuck with moderate. We stayed at CBR instead of WL.. but last trip we splurged on GF with a 40% off code. Honestly-- I haven't regretted either decision, but sometimes now that we have three kids I wish we would have stayed at WL while we had two. We'll probably never stay there because as our kids get older we'll need the five person room or adjoining rooms or a suite.

 

[a1tinkfans]

well, i ve stayed at both and both have their plusses...
we really enjoy POR and the DTD opportunities (so if you are having enough time to do that, or be at the resort more thats a plus for you) will you be swimming and enjoy the possibility of quiet pools, main pool or even shared pool at pofq opportunities? Is the great food court important to you?, Ol man Island for some pole fishing?
Do you prefer inside corridor? less choices (IMHO) at the food court, boat versus bus transport to parks? (you mentioned weather...but regardless youll be outside anyway at all the parks.....) Will you be mostly at MK...and like the opportunity to hop on the boat (maybe) for a less stressful transport?
I have to say that we enjoy both very much but POR is our home away form home....the holiday season is busy, will it be easier for you at one of the resorts?
Choosing a resort is such a personal choice, only you know whats best for your family.....but
whichever you choose, have a wonderful time

 

[mad madam mim78]

If they were 9 and 10 I might worry about he boys being annoyed with he room but I'm sure they won't mind. I hear the royal rooms are amazing. A thousand dollars buys an awful lot of presents. That's 2 iPads just to stay at a "better" hotel for a week!!!

 

[Alexsandra]

well, i ve stayed at both and both have their plusses...
we really enjoy POR and the DTD opportunities (so if you are having enough time to do that, or be at the resort more thats a plus for you) will you be swimming and enjoy the possibility of quiet pools, main pool or even shared pool at pofq opportunities?

We will swim weather permitting but when we went in Feb, last year it was too cold most days and ended up swimming once.

Is the great food court important to you?

We will eat once or twice at the food court (most probably for breakfast) but have ADR in parks or other resorts most days.

Ol man Island for some pole fishing?

Never done it, but willing to try if we stick to POR.

Do you prefer inside corridor?

Think so

less choices (IMHO) at the food court, boat versus bus transport to parks? (you mentioned weather...but regardless youll be outside anyway at all the parks.....) Will you be mostly at MK...and like the opportunity to hop on the boat (maybe) for a less stressful transport?

I will do 2 days at MK and 2 days at HS and 1 day at each of the other parks.

I have to say that we enjoy both very much but POR is our home away form home....the holiday season is busy, will it be easier for you at one of the resorts?

Don't know since I don't know what I missing?

Choosing a resort is such a personal choice, only you know whats best for your family.....but
whichever you choose, have a wonderful time

I know your right! WDW is such a magical place, there is no way I will have a bad time

 

[spacepixie2]

we stayed at WL in Dec. 09 and absolutely loved everything about it. We even got to sign up to be Flag Family one day which was also a cool experience, one that maybe your boys would like, if they are still doing that. That being said, I had WL with FD booked for this Dec. but had to scale back. I really wanted the POR Royal Guest room but they were all gone for the FD so we had to pick CBR with the FD offer.
My vote would be WL if it could be financially feasible.

 

[Alexsandra]

If they were 9 and 10 I might worry about he boys being annoyed with he room but I'm sure they won't mind. I hear the royal rooms are amazing. A thousand dollars buys an awful lot of presents. That's 2 iPads just to stay at a "better" hotel for a week!!!

A thousand dollars buys an awful lot of presents. That's 2 iPads just to stay at a "better" hotel for a week!!!
I know, when you put it that way, it sound crazy to spend $1000 for a different resort. But I so want to make the jump...but is just so not logical! AWHG!

 

[Belle83]

We are staying at POR the same week (Dec 11-18) with free dining, in a king bed room.

Our original plan for this trip was to stay at WL, but we had a hard time justifying the cost. $1000 is a few trips to Home Depot, or extra $ for meals or souvenirs, or whatever. We're glad we are saving $ and staying at POR. Plus, you aren't just paying more for the room ... you are losing free dining by moving to WL right?

I can understand being disappointed about the royal room option, especially since you have to pay more for it. I bet your kids will still love it. The rooms aren't super girly, imo.

 

[mad madam mim78]

A thousand dollars buys an awful lot of presents. That's 2 iPads just to stay at a "better" hotel for a week!!!
I know, when you put it that way, it sound crazy to spend $1000 for a different resort. But I so want to make the jump...but is just so not logical! AWHG!

I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm just telling you how my brain works. I would also worry about future trips and what if I loooooved WL so much I could never stay anywhere else again. You might always from now on be trying to make the jump. I wouldn't want to tease myself.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

The Royal Rooms are not girly at all. In fact, they are rather subdued in colors. I would save the money and give them a try. POR is an awesome resort.

 

[MMS1125]

I'd price it out with the current room discount and it might not be that bad compared to rack rate moderate with Free Dining you have booked. You will really only have to pay OOP for you and your DH for food. The kids are minimal cost. You might be able to make that 1000 difference a tad smaller.

 

[MMS1125]

WL Standard Room
2a 2c 5 and 2
7 day base tickets
2625.10

POR-Royal Room River View
2a 2c 5 and 2
7 day base
free dining
approx
2584

I think it would be worth upgrading to the WL. It's magical at Christmas and you will probably only spend a couple hundred in food over the week unless you have a lot of ADRs planned.

 

[hot_mama]

Wilderness Lodge is one of our absolute favorite resorts! I say go for it! We have stayed at most of the Deluxe resorts and love this one for the secluded woodsy lodge feel, but just a boat ride from MK! It is amazing at Christmas!

 

[elaw]

Wilderness Lodge is amazing during the holidays I'd make the switch in a heartbeat!

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

We are in the same exact situation! Booked the same time at POR but in a water view but I'm second guessing too. We honeymooned at WL and this is our 5th anniversary trip. We loved it there and got spoiled! I just don't think I can justify the extra money to stay again though. $1000 is alot of money. I've just been trying to read and look at all the great things about riverside to get excited. The pictures look beautiful.
Try calling back and changing to a non royal room from time to time, if that's the main problem. I've been doing the same actually to get a king bed room, since it wasn't available when I booked. I've been told by the CMs to just keep trying back people cancel all the time!
Good luck deciding! Either way, it's Disney at Christmas time and will be magical no matter what!

 

[mickeynut1]

If it were me, I'd go with the WL, especially during Christmas time . We've never stayed at POR, but we've stayed at the WL twice and love it. The lodge is beautiful any time of year, but especially so during the holidays. If the extra cost is doable, I would definitely switch. But with that said, I do agree with a pp that once you stay deluxe, it might be hard to go back to anything else. Our first onsite stay was at CBR and we loved the resort and had a great time, but the following year we tried the BC and it has been deluxe stays ever since. Good luck deciding, although I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter where you stay as Disney at Christmas time is amazing .

 

[dreamcruiser]

I agree, mickeynut1! After staying deluxe, it IS hard to go back..
We stayed at POR and POFQ several years back but lately it's been all deluxe.
I've booked a RO at POR for January, but also am second-guessing and wishing it was going to be WL. Money-wise, after 2 other visits this year, it needs to be a moderate.
Elaw, if you keep posting those pix of the lobby at Christmas, I'm gonna have to break down and book for the holidays at WL anyway!!!

 

[TandLMommy28]

My 5yo boy loved the royal room. It's not overly princess-y. The fireworks headboards were a huge hit!

I love POR. I think it's only negative is transportation. We are thinking deluxe next time but only because we had such a rough time with buses this past trip and want a monorail resort. But otherwise I think it's theming and everything else is just as good as a deluxe.

 

[GrandCalifornian]

It is a tough decision. We pretty much had it narrowed doen to POR and WL for our return visit over 5 years after our wonderful honeymoon at WL. We had also been planning on December, but moved it up to September to go before our daughter turned three (which is a big part of how we scraped up the extra $ to go WL).

We ended up having an amazing time at WL, and falling even more in love with it. We did visit POR during our trip, and the main differences that we saw are that POR is spread out with multiple buildings and exterior hallways, while WL is all in one building under one roof. Both resorts have a nice quiet rural feel that we really love. POR had a bigger food court, but WL's quick service is really good too, just smaller. WL has beautiful views of Bay Lake, and is a nice walk or boat ride from Fort Wilderness for more fun activities.

As for transportation, we loved the boats from WL to MK or the CR (to catch the monorail), but we also like having the boat from POR to DTD. When we rode the DTD boat in September though, there was a huge line to wait for it, and the busses would have been faster. We found that with the WL boats vs. busses as well. While the boats are more fun, the busses are still the fastest way to go. For AK and HS you are probably taking busses from either resort, so it really isn't a huge advantage for WL.

Overall, it is a tough decision, and while we personally loved WL, it would be hard to say what someone else should do for the money. We probably wouldn't give up free dining to make the switch if it were us. Both are very nice Disney resorts, so it is up to you if the differences are worth the price difference. The Christmas decorations at WL are beautiful, so no matter where you stay be sure to come by for a while and check them and the resort out so you'll have more info for your next stay.